Raphael (Starcross)
The youngest of Yaldabaoth's seventh archangels, Raphael was formed with simple, concrete purposes in mind. These duties were to spread the word of Yaldabaoth's divine gospel and keep her inevitably harsh, destructive eldest sister in check. She succeeded in the first goal, but not in the second, as Yaldabaoth's own influence had sabotaged her intentions and resulted in a simple, airheaded, and impressionable girl who parroted everything Mastema said. But that empty headed straightforwardness made for a peerless user of Logos, the absolute greatest Heaven had to offer. Backstory The youngest of the archangels, Raphael was formed from Yaldabaoth's magic and will, and instilled with the power of a dying star. She was made last and was designed almost as an afterthought, a countermeasure to the harsh personality her eldest sister, Mastema, would inevitably develop. Yaldabaoth found that, of the seven, Raphael potentially came out the best, improving on a bunch of minor issues that the older models had, and she found that she was very, very fond of little Raphael - almost as fond as she was of Mastema. Raphael was thus saddled with a duty Yaldabaoth found similarly important to the execution of her will and vision - the worship of her infinite self. As a result, Raphael was subject to nearly as much micromanaging and high expectations as Mastema was. It wasn’t the same, and Yaldabaoth still believed Mastema’s duty was one of greater responsibility, so Raphael was simultaneously cut slack that Mastema wasn’t and at times managed far more strictly. Due to this, Yaldabaoth unknowingly ended up mangling her intended countermeasure; rather than someone who would be able to calmly offset Mastema and challenge her decisions, Yaldabaoth made the fledgling Raphael into someone who would always look for her mother and eldest sibling for guidance. The person Raphael became, as a result, was highly impressionable and incredibly loyal, willing to believe anything the two of them said. She accepted her mother’s claims of divinity and happily spread the word, sharing her mercy and love with all those she could and singing her praises whenever possible. Not all of her duties were that sweet, however, as Raphael was often called upon for the purpose of assassination, on account of her unexpectedly high aptitude for Logos, which she had quickly mastered on a level surpassing any other. For Raphael, paradoxically both coddled and crushed, it was second nature, instinctive, the natural functions of a natural airhead. Once Yaldabaoth began withdrawing into the background of things and spun into greater and greater self-delusion, Raphael turned towards the increasingly hateful and malicious Mastema for guidance and commands. The two of them had worked more closely with Yaldabaoth than anyone, and this knew what the other had gone through. They were closer than any of the other archangels were to each other, sharing a bond of trust and understanding. It hurt Raphael to see how Yaldabaoth’s influence changed and damaged Mastema, and she, who was made to love and help others, decided that she’d do everything she could to assist Mastema. On account of this, Raphael was able to become more independent in her duties, expanding the Heavenly Mercy and even establishing Azazel, a cultic group of particularly zealous angels who trained under her in Logos and worked as assassins, similarly to their mentor. This life was simple for Raphael, the type to go about every day with the same blind optimism, doing the same things time and time again without really having to think about any of it. She truly was a model angel for many, one who never questioned anything and always worked to support Heaven. And, when Heaven went to war, she was one of the archangels who dutifully went onto the front lines, where she put her mastery of Logos to use, growing more and more skilled with every fight. These fights were typically sad and hopeless affairs in which the “merciful” Raphael drove her opponents to their breaking points and made them accept death, which Raphael thought was exactly what she should be doing. After all, Raphael was more loyal to Mastema than everyone. Each belief and conclusion that Mastema shared, Raphael accepted without hesitation. Even when faced with the truth that Yaldabaoth had never been a god at all, she nodded along happily, relieved that Mastema had let her know after all this time. And when her eldest sibling spoke of death and destruction, Raphael agreed, every step of the way, encouraging her increasingly omnicidal intent. Because she knew that no matter what, the only relief her overworked, hateful, and hopelessly angry sister would find was in death. It helps that she would have agreed anyways - but this time, Raphael agreed because she truly understood. In other words, Yaldabaoth’s countermeasure absolutely, decisively failed. Rather than hold Mastema back, Raphael drove her on further. And she only did so more and more. She did so through Lucifer’s rebellion, which Raphael failed to stop, something she blamed herself for deeply, and a mistake that she failed to rectify when she fought Lucifer herself. And she did so when Jophiel became another person overnight, someone with ambitions far beyond that of Heaven, which broke the loving Raphael’s heart. And she continues to do so. Appearance Standing at a dainty five feet tall, Raphael is a very short and slight girl, looking like the exact opposite of someone with the combat experience she has. This makes her notably short in general, but extra short compared to most of her siblings, who easily tower over her, something she's completely content with, finding that this just fits her perfectly. Her body is completely lacking in visible muscle, making her a little runt, though one with a bit of noticeable fat on her. Despite her short height, she has notably long legs, wide hips, and thick thighs. Raphael's skin is very pale, smooth, and soft, and she doesn’t have a single scar or blemish marring it, leaving it completely pristine. On top of this, she glows with a warmth, with all of these traits giving her a strong, unnatural beauty. Luxuriously soft, gorgeous, wavy hair falls down Raphael's shoulders, and her choppy bangs are parted to one side just a bit, covering her rather large forehead. It's a wonderful, pretty shade of golden-yellow, with each strand growing darker the longer out it goes. Of particular note when it comes to her hair is her large, dangling ahoge, almost like a single antenna, always perky and at attention. Underneath her bangs, Raphael's eyes are perpetually closed, accompanying her equally persistent and wide smile. Her expression is always bright and happy, never worsening no matter what happens, but under certain circumstances, usually those that are rather grave, she may open her eyes. When she does, their distinctly droopy shape and golden irises can be seen, giving her a particularly cute smile. Appropriately for the angel she is, Raphael has fluffy, pale yellow wings, a bit smaller than normal, almost cherubic, and a bright golden halo without a single impurity. As Heaven's resident good girl, she who has never done anything wrong, Raphael dresses traditionally. To allow for fluid movement in the combat her life is often consumed by, Raphael wears a simple white shirt, and over it, a long, open black cassock, which she will shed as soon as a fight begins. Then, she wears an equally simple pair of white pants. While this is her normal state of dress, Raphael will happily dress up differently when performing her duties outside of Heaven. In this regard, Raphael is inclined towards "preppy" clothing and pastel colors, often wearing blouses, dress shirts, and polo shirts. Her fashion sense is somewhat childish at times, even, as she prefers shorts and overalls to anything else for legwear. She'd happily pair these shorts with knee to thigh highs, if not tights, typically pink in some form, such as striped pink and white. While she’d wear mary janes or sneakers when dressed up less traditionally, she prefers to go barefoot and will ditch the shoes if something happens. By angelic standards, the true form that lies underneath her flesh is absolutely adorable. Her body is more like ring of light than anything recognizable as a living entity, but paying closer attention will make her physiology apparent. Not just one searing wheel of fire, but many of them, nested in one another and intersecting endlessly around a silhouette that’s like a flickering flame, a candle’s wavering light. Raphael’s wings, in this form, are not really feathery wings, more imprints on the space that spread out from behind her. And, finally, she has no visible eyes - not until they suddenly appear covering every inch of her body and in every open space she fills. Personality The kindest angel of all, the angel who forgives, loves, and shares her joy with all. A merciful savior, Raphael is constantly gentle and upbeat, treating everyone sweetly and doing everything she can to help them out. But make no mistake, Raphael is still an angel, and an angel with a more alien way of thinking than most. She is is as devoted to Heaven and Mastema’s destructive ideals as anyone, believing this to be the proper, merciful course of action, failing to realize that every measure taken to ensure it is nothing more than self-defeating cruelty. These contradictions make her strangeness obvious, the way she simply acts without thinking and does whatever comes naturally, traits that make her, to be blunt, a massive airhead. In all these regards, Raphael is an opposite of her eldest sister, the mercy to her justice, the love to her hate, the thoughtlessness to her rigid overthinking. But they share one major trait, a defining one - their uncompromising, self-righteous agenda, and the self-destruction they will gladly participate in to make it reality. Raphael is never not glowing with happiness and showing everyone her best self, her brightest smile. She’s always just overflowing with optimism and joy, and her positive demeanor seemingly never drops. Always, she tries to share this enthusiasm with others, trying to boost their spirits. It's simply second nature for her, and she couldn’t live with doing any less. It’s her duty to help others and always do the right thing, no matter what. Her responsible and caring nature drives her to take care of others whenever they need it, providing all the necessary attention and care, a trait that makes her the best archangel when it comes to dealing with personal matters. Not that there's a lot of competition in that department. Always relaxed and perfectly calm, Raphael is apparently just immune to stress, something no doubt helped by the fact that she's made a habit of simply not thinking. It's not that she's dumb, but she just functions based off instinct, rarely putting all that much thought into anything she does. Because she's rather good with people, this works out just fine when she's interacting with others, unless they're unlucky enough to oppose Heaven. This means she’s more than a bit of an airhead. She often acts rather impulsively, says strange things, and also does strange things. Often, she doesn’t seem to do much of anything at all. Call it meditation or simply zoning out, but Raphael often sits around for long periods of time, staring into space and calmly, blissfully enjoying simply living, and everything around her. It’s seemingly impossible for her to ever feel anything but the simplest and purest happiness. No matter what, she’s always cheery, though she certainly knows when to change tracks and be more serious. Only on very few occasions does her sunny demeanor fade a little, but even then she’s pretty positive. There are few things that can make her truly sad, and she bounces back very fast even from these. The death of loved ones doesn't even bother her, thanks to a certain viewpoint she's inherited from Mastema, that death is a blessing. The love Raphael feels applies to everything, her opponents included. No matter how destructive or rebellious, where her siblings despise demons and find them disgusting vermin, Raphael adores them and finds no end to the things she can respect and praise about their actions. Of course, they remain enemies, as Raphael seeks to grant them "mercy". Of course, the mercy she intends for them is an unpleasant one, and the fights others have with her tend to be cruel, sad affairs. Raphael seeks to give those she fights a chance to die on their own terms, so when she battles those who stand no chance, she does not attack, but does not let them escape, either. She forces them into a situation where all they can do is attack her and be killed by her instinctive counters, or kill themselves. In essence, suicide is the only option her enemies have. She often treats them condescendingly, too, really just salting the wound. She completely fails to understand why any of this is cruel, and as good as she can be with others, in the end, her manner of thinking is simply too alien. Like Mastema, there is an inherent, robotic flaw in her heart, which stops her from bridging that final distance. Unsurprisingly, Raphael does not value her life in the slightest, knowing that she's a tool of Heaven meant to bring salvation to others. Accordingly, Raphael greatly respects those who are similarly self-sacrificing, those who are willing to do anything to themselves for the sake of their ideals and morals, even when she disagrees. That being said, Raphael doesn’t hate herself at all. She loves herself, as she loves all things. Maybe a bit less, though. It’s not a topic she’d enjoy going into very much, or thinking about all that much either. Because when sadness hits her, Raphael feels like she's a failure, and she finds reasons to blame herself for many issues, especially the neglect of Jophiel. When she fails to properly help others, or fails to notice that they need her, Raphael often gets pretty sulky about it. Though she was meant to balance out Mastema’s harsh, destructive habits, she came out much more submissive and obedient than Yaldabaoth intended, mostly because of her negative influence. Now, she's extremely loyal to Mastema, who she’d do anything for, without question. All her beliefs were readily adopted by Raphael, with much more ease than any of the other archangels ever did. Raphael’s identity is entirely predicated around her value as a tool for Heaven, and the good she sets out to do. If her thought processes were anywhere close to normal, perhaps this would make her fragile - but such a singular, simple goal seems only to give her more strength. She knows that she’s simple-minded and straightforward, and she doesn’t mind. This is how she likes to be. It’s how she was meant to be, after all! Powers and Statistics Tier: At least 3-C, up to High 3-A with Dunamis Circuit, High 3-A with Zadkiel Powers and Abilities: |-|Personal Abilities= Genius Intelligence, Master Martial Artist, Cosmic Awareness, Instinctive Reaction (Raphael rarely thinks and executes virtually everything she does on instinct, from calculations to combat), Causality Manipulation, Conceptual Manipulation (Type 4; Raphael's attacks damage opponents on not just a physical level, but a conceptual one as well), Energy Manipulation (Raphael can completely control energy and "purify" it using her inner world, preventing opponents from handling it properly and making it dangerous to absorb or use against her), Gravity Manipulation (Raphael has her own immensely powerful gravitational field, which she can control), Higher-Dimensional Manipulation (Can manipulate and transmit information through higher spatial dimensions, and create multidimensional constructs), Information Manipulation and Analysis (She can easily judge the skill level of any opponent and determine the techniques they have at their disposal, instinctively doing so), Law Manipulation (Raphael can break laws, be they physical or magical, and wields her own), Magnetism Manipulation (Raphael has her own immensely powerful magnetic field, which she can control), Mathematics Manipulation (Raphael can alter mathematics and how math affects the world using World Operator), Mind Manipulation, Physics Manipulation (Raphael can alter and control the laws of physics), Pocket Reality Manipulation (She can materialize and control her inner world as a pocket dimension), Probability Manipulation, Quantum Manipulation, Sense Manipulation, Soul Manipulation (All her attacks, physical or magical, affect the soul just as they do the body), Spatial Manipulation, Time Manipulation, Absorption (Angels can use their wings to absorb magic and energy, and Raphael can absorb energy for her own use with Dunamis Circuit), Astral Projection, Attack Reflection (Raphael can redirect the force of attacks used against her, turning her opponents' strength against them, and her law takes the form of fields thinner than a Planck length that automatically redirect anything that moves through them), Dimensional Travel, Incorporeality/Intangibility (Immaterial; Raphael is made out of magic and immune to conventional physical harm), Nonexistent Physiology (Type 1), Portal Creation, Power Mimicry (Without needing to think about it, Raphael can replicate the martial techniques of others with equal skill after being exposed to them just once, or, on occasion, before they've even be used), Power Nullification (On top of simply redirecting force, Zadkiel disbars the idea of combat and hostility, preventing attacks from functioning properly when they pass through), Limited Precognition (Thanks to her own exceptional instincts and experience with Logos, Raphael can react to billions of attacks delivered through Logos that they're instant, have no physical component, and can only be blocked with magic before any of them happen and without being hit effectively even once, dodging, deflecting, or redirecting each one), Shapeshifting, Telekinesis, Telepathy, Teleportation, Immortality (Types 1, 3, and 5; Raphael is a deathless being that exists in nothingness), Regeneration (Low-Godly; can regenerate from nothing but her disembodied consciousness and can exist independently from her body) |-|General Abilities= Magic, Extrasensory Perception (Agents maintain a constant, perfect, and precise image of their surroundings by analyzing them through magic; Raphael's is so precise that can she follow movements on a smaller than Planck scale from across galactic distances, as if they were happening right in front of her at a normal size), Self-Sustenance (Types 1, 2, and 3; vital processes such as breathing, drinking, eating, and sleeping are alien and unnecessary for angels), Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Flight, Forcefield Creation, Non-Physical Interaction (An agent can interact with immaterial or incorporeal entities, such as ghosts, as well as things that don't exist), Reactive Evolution (An Absolute Barrier automatically adapts to attacks to become more resistant), Reality Warping with Override Sigils (Override Sigils can be used to overwrite the laws of physics), Acausality (Type 2; An agent's history, present, and fate all exist independently of the past and future), Immunity to Soul Manipulation (Raphael has no soul to affect), Resistance to conceptual, mental, physical, and spiritual attack (Absolute Barriers protect the user from attacks on all levels of existence, potentially providing protection against a host of abilities) Attack Potency: At least Galaxy level (Comparable in power to Uriel and base Jophiel, making her far superior to a recently unsealed Lucifer and Gabriel), up to High Universe level with Dunamis Circuit (Can redirect attacks from natural laws without harm to Raphael, doing so with Yaldabaoth's Sefirot, and it can even partially redirect Mastema's Spear of Destiny), High Universe level with Zadkiel (While not as strong as Yaldabaoth's Sefirot, Zadkiel is on a similar level of power due to its status as a natural law, though its effects are more hax than straightforwardly destructive. It is also the second weakest of the natural laws, surpassing only Raziel in power). Speed: Massively FTL+ (Faster than Uriel, who can cover galactic distances with her attacks at high speeds, and Lucifer, who is comparable to here, easily reacting to and countering their attacks). Lifting Strength: Multi-Stellar (Stronger than Remnant, who can fit multiple stars in their orbit), up to Galactic with Dunamis Circuit (Using Dunamis Circuit, Raphael could potentially overpower Yaldabaoth). Striking Strength: At least Galactic Class (While not quite as strong as Uriel, she's a peer and can badly injure Jophiel and Lucifer with her attacks), up to High Universal with Dunamis Circuit. Durability: At least Galaxy level (Somewhat frail compared to her strength, but capable of withstanding blows forced through Dunamis Circuit by Jophiel and Lucifer without much issue, even surviving attacks from Judecca Rex Lucifer due to application of Dunamis Circuit, which redirected most, but not all of the force). Stamina: Limitless. Due to her Fruit of Life, Raphael is supplied with what is an infinite source of magical energy, allowing her to fight indefinitely, though her stamina may suffer if her soul is extremely badly wounded, though this is something that is extremely difficult to accomplish. While somewhat frail thanks to her access to Dunamis Circuit, Raphael is very difficult to kill thanks to her strong willpower and natural angelic resilience. Even the worst of injuries don't do much to hold her back in the midst of deadly combat. Range: Low Multiversal (She can reach into and affect other universes with her magic). Standard Equipment: Her law, Zadkiel. Intelligence: Supergenius. Raphael is a natural airhead and not the sort to do much thinking about anything she does, and it is this quality that has made her the greatest user of Logos, a position she claimed at an early age. Conscious thoughts of any sort simply are not necessary for Raphael to act or fight at the height of her ability, and she handles everything with an instinctive grace, from personal matters to political ones, from complex calculations to simple matters of strategy, from magic to martial combat. When it comes to the barest elements of combat and skill, Raphael has easily outdone everyone she's ever fought, consistently demonstrating herself to be the superior of even the likes of Abaddon, Logos, Lucifer, Mastema, and Uriel in this department. In Uriel's case, for all her skill, Raphael has never once lost to her in a sparring match, and though this is partially because the matchup is simply horrible for Uriel, it remains a testament to Raphael's ability. Even against other Logos users, who deliver their attacks instantly, without warning, and with no physical component, Raphael can perfectly react and redirect a barrage of attacks numbering in the billions. She can use her law, one of the most complex and difficult to properly use, so much so that Harahel thinks that copying it would be a waste of time, with ease, incorporating both it and Logos into her fights without needing to think about how or when. Each and every time, no matter who she fights, Raphael can execute her techniques with perfect precision and timing without even needing to really try, doing so with such ease that it may as well be automatic. Though Logos is her specialty, one should do well not to assume Raphael is an incompetent user of magic. As an archangel, she was programmed with extensive knowledge of physical operations and magic and can use World Operator on a higher level than those who've devoted their life to the art, allowing her to counter it just as effectively as anything else. And though she rarely thinks about things all that much, Raphael's actions always have a brutally effective underlying strategy, something she follows on pure instinct. However, Raphael's instincts often fail to properly take account of advanced magic, which, on this level of combat, can be a crippling weakness that could lead to a quick death. Weaknesses: Raphael's instincts cannot properly deal with highly advanced magic. Dunamis Circuit has its shortcomings, namely in dealing with attacks from strong-willed opponents or "unruly" inner worlds, and sufficiently lethal magic will damage her even if she redirects it with perfect timing, preventing her from doing so efficiently or safely. Zadkiel has a hard time stripping away the power boosts of those with sufficiently powerful inner worlds that are responsible for them. The nature of her inner world also makes Raphael more vulnerable to causality interference. Abilities Agency: A mage is more properly known as an agent, as in “one that acts or exerts power”. Separated from the rest of the universe, an agent is essentially a miniature universe all their own, with complete control over their destiny, free to pursue whatever future they wish. They do this through magic, the art of using one’s understanding to control Fantasy, the stuff of sheer willpower and imagination. * Absolute Barrier: A magical barrier that protects the user from external manipulation and attack, on every level of existence. An Absolute Barrier protects the user’s body, mind, and soul - their cells and atoms, the magical and physical forces keeping them together, and everything else. It is akin to a magical immune system, protecting the agent from threats and adapting to future attack. It passively protects the user from most types of attack, manipulation, and control, as long as the barrier is strong enough - an agent of substantially greater power can punch straight through one. An Absolute Barrier is passively maintained at all times, even in sleep, requiring no energy to maintain, and can only be removed by a stronger agent actively stripping it away, or by the user consciously lowering them. An Absolute Barrier is the evolved form of the soul’s original protective layer, refined through the usage of and exposure to magic. * Radar: An agent’s magical abilities passively sustain a constant 360° image of their surroundings, which is projected straight to their mind for processing. This radar is far more reliable than conventional senses, and cannot be easily fooled by tricks that would trip up any normal human. In the hands of a powerful enough agent, it can even track superluminal movements. It constantly operates at the agent’s maximum processing speed, even when such things would normally be restricted to allow for normal, everyday life. ---- Sacred Program: Raphael is an angel, a fluctuation devised by Yaldabaoth to carry out her will, fashioned from stardust and a fraction of her willpower. Similar in nature to star spirits, angels are essentially magical consciousnesses, simply a soul, a halo, and nothing else. Any body they may manifest is composed of metamatter, not regular matter, a sort of condensed willpower. Their bodies are malleable things determined by not just their own thoughts, but those of others as well. Because of this composition, ordinary physical phenomena have no effect on them. Of course, Raphael is no mere angel. She is an archangel, the seventh and final of their kind, created to bring salvation to the world. The Archangel of Mercy, Raphael has her own host of gifts, having been created to carry out a certain holy task. In fact, she is this holy task - a sacred program meant to execute a certain function, a duty she cannot stray from. This digital determinism is the root of her whole self, the source of everything she is and everything she has. * Fruit of Life: Like the rest of her siblings, Raphael possesses the magical organ known as a Fruit of Life, a magical core created by Yaldabaoth for her own use. For the archangels and their creator, the Fruit of Life acts as a stellar core, a mass of magic and plasma smaller and denser than a neutron star, the size of a fist. It supplies Raphael with an infinite amount of magical energy, synthesized from the infinite potential released by the Big Bang that created Heaven, along with an extremely powerful magnetic and gravitational field subject to her own control. Granting not only raw energy, a Fruit of Life also provides a substantial boost to computation. More than a mere mass of energy, it is a high-power, multi-dimensional processing unit that calculates and transfers information through higher dimensions. While Fruits of Life are certainly important, as the pinnacles of Heavenly magic, science, and power, losing one is no issue for any archangel, and Raphael can regenerate her Fruit of Life easily. * Halo: The halo of an angel is actually a complex Override Sigil, passively maintained without draining any energy. A halo has multiple functions in maintaining an angel’s existence and safety. ** Angelic Data: A halo contains the magical information that makes up an angel’s existence (typically referred to as just “data”). Through this, an angel can regenerate from any scale of physical wounds through their halo, even complete physical destruction. As a halo is a magical construct, no amount of conventional physical harm can damage it, and even directly attacking it with magic can be difficult. If an angel’s halo is shattered, it will immediately and passively reconstruct itself; when an angel is actually killed, the halo will shatter and finally disappear. ** Fear Not: An angel’s true nature and form is obscured by magic under normal circumstances, so an angel normally seems to be an individual of the viewer’s species, though their exact appearance is still up to them. In addition, they are normally clearly angelic, with the halo and wings representative of angels. ** Messenger: Angels can communicate telepathically regardless of language barriers and transmit information across transdimensional distances, partly through their connection to Yesod. They can also teleport such distances and open portals to other worlds. This allows them to leave Heaven and travel across other universes. ** Protection from Harm: A halo protects its bearer from offensive magic of all varieties, including those that seek to warp or manipulate them through other means. It is particularly effective in protecting against the corrupting influence of demons. * Wings: The wings of an angel are special, unique constructs formed out of magic, and are used to direct and manipulate magical energies as limbs. They can even absorb magic and other energy with ease. The wings are the most sensitive and important part of an angel’s body, and they are carefully maintained at all times. Logos: Logos is a heavenly martial art, system of magic, and philosophy developed by Yaldabaoth and spread throughout Heaven. Dedicated to controlling the totality of one’s being and using it in its entirety in combat, Logos is an instinctive fallback for angels, who have its foundation programmed into them. Logos works by clearing the user’s mind, sweeping away their emotions and identity for a time so that they can better focus on combat, making it difficult for angels to form stable identities and properly process emotions. As they generally lack any strong identities or emotions by default, angels are incredibly well-suited to the use of Logos. With this supernatural concentration and the powerful will behind it, Logos revolves around transcending physical attacks and instead relying on pure magical attacks. The user simply wills that their target is struck, and they are, by an instantaneous force with no physical component. These cannot be responded to by normal means, instead requiring magical defenses and accurate predictions to counter them. In combat, a user utilizes both physical and pure magic, so an opponent must defend themselves on both a physical and magical level at once. When it comes to Logos, Raphael is unparalleled. She is the greatest practitioner of the art, unmatched even by the likes of Abaddon, Mastema, and Uriel, excelling in every aspect of its use thanks to the simple, pleasant nature of her soul, on top of all the effort she’s put into mastering it. There are techniques only she knows, abilities only she has mastered, and she can weave its use into both magic and combat effortlessly. * Aeon: A meditation art used by angelic leaders for the sake of observing and guiding large groups of angels, particularly during battles. By concentrating and entering a meditative state, Raphael can cast her awareness across a cosmic distance, even into other realms, observing events so accurately it’s as if she’s actually there. Due to her mastery of the technique, Raphael can slip into it even in the midst of deadly combat, and direct any forces under her command while fighting on the front lines. * Eight Ends: A technique that focuses on disabling an opponent’s senses to leave them helpless, channeled through Raphael’s attacks. The senses it deactivates are not limited to the five senses of the body, and include a target’s self-awareness, memories, and even their consciousness itself. As agents rely on magical sensing and their own thoughts more than their conventional five senses, a magic limited to these things would be useless, so Eight Ends targets the foundation of things and disables them as well. The deactivation of all an opponent’s senses leads to a comatose state that leaves them incapable of acting or thinking, though agents with powerful defenses can resist these effects, and those with highly developed souls and enough power can act unconsciously in such a state, relying on muscle memory and instinct alone. Few opponents are competent like this. The true power of Eight Ends does not aim to deactivate senses, however, but to destroy them. For Raphael, in a serious fight between equals, each attack is delivered with the intent of destroying her opponent, erasing their consciousness and causing the destruction of both their inner world and their concept of self. * Natural Reasoning: A deep understanding of Logos’ functions and a sense for its use, developed over the course of many years of experience. Thanks to this knowledge, Raphael can accurately predict how opponents will use it and react appropriately, even when Logos is exercised on a massive scale and in huge quantities. Thanks to her highly honed instincts, refined by Luminous Fist, Raphael actually does so with reflexive ease. * Dunamis Circuit: The pinnacle of a simpler Logos technique that is a staple among angels, Kinetic Circuit, perfected by Raphael’s years of meditation and training, combined with her unusually receptive inner world. The base technique is a defensive one, an ability that requires perfect precision and subtlety to transmit the energy of any attack on the user through their soul and back to the sender. In theory, Raphael’s Dunamis Circuit is no different, but in practice, thanks to the sheer skill with which she executes the technique, it is on an entirely different level. Thanks to Zero Heart, Raphael has no soul, so energy is instead transmitted through the nothing that she has become. Here, all energy is purified by Raphael’s inner world, making it perfect for redirection. This process may as well be second-nature for Raphael, who redirects attacks not just instinctively, but perfectly as well, regardless of positioning and even if caught by surprise. Her body easily flows with every attack, “accepting” it head-on but taking no harm before redirecting with 100% efficiency. The metamatter that makes up her body itself yields, particles shifting to best blend with every strike, physical or magical, allowing Raphael to fluidly lead her attacker’s motions. This makes attacking Raphael incredibly risky, as her seemingly perfect defense has won her a reputation of invincibility. A single careless punch can result in instant death, and even advanced forms of magical attack, such as World Operator, don’t fare any better. However, it is of course not truly perfect. Raphael would have difficulty properly dealing with magic of a particularly abstract and subtle nature, such as Inner World Operator, the art of soul surgery, at least when used with sufficient skill. It’s not like an ordinary Inner World Operator could dissect a soul that isn’t there, after all. One could also find ways to circumvent her defense through clever applications of certain magics, and Raphael would inherently struggle with perfectly redirecting attacks from exceptionally strong-willed individuals, especially those with “unruly” inner worlds. Lastly, highly potent death magic would take a toll on her even if she perfectly redirected it, as it would damage the pathways used to do so and cause steadily worse internal injuries. * Luminous Fist: The existence of those who have truly mastered Logos and reached a level that not even Yaldabaoth reached in life - the transcendence of thought and action. At this level, Raphael does not stand on the level of other, lesser martial artists or agents, but stands above, with a pure, thoughtless consciousness that cannot be clouded by indecision, fear, or confusion. It is not something that has to be activated and automatically comes into play once she starts fighting. Raphael has mastered this to a level higher than that of any other angel. In fact, the ability is second nature to her, not something she had to consciously work to master. Nearly every action and every process Raphael carries out is performed on supernatural instinct, lacking any need for conscious thought or intention. As opposed to thinking out her movements, Raphael subconsciously takes in all of her opponent’s actions and unconsciously reacts. This allows Raphael to easily intuit the perfect way to dodge every attack and how to respond. At this level, thoughts are only an accessory to martial arts, and are unnecessary to show the full extent of her skill. Though this state can be described as “thoughtless”, Raphael is still thinking while using the ability, just extremely quickly and without being disturbed by any mental defilement. She remains fully capable of analyzing opponents and their abilities, processing large amounts of information, and performing complex calculations, which she performs on sheer instinct. However, it does not make her consciousness superfluous, and can potentially be disturbed by a strong enough attack on her mind. Of course, this is very difficult due to Raphael’s powerful magical protections and willpower. * Zero Heart: Existence in nonexistence. The ultimate goal of Logos, even if it wasn’t one that Yaldabaoth was aware of. Every use of Logos will slowly - very slowly - lead to this result, but it cannot be reached through the mastery of Logos alone. To transcend one’s soul and become nothing, one must discard their desires and their sense of self. Of all those who have ever used Logos, Raphael is one of the two that has reached this state, alongside her eldest sister, Mastema. While Mastema, who never knew how to dream for herself, inevitably reached this state thanks to the nature of her inner world, for Raphael, it is the product of years of extensive meditation, self-reflection, and training. She has no soul, and all the fixtures that would be a part of her soul instead exist within the nothingness that is her body. As nothingness, she has become deathless, yet simultaneously transient. Her own nature is something that strives for cessation, for oblivion, and she will reach it. Without her own will keeping herself together, Raphael would bleed away into nothingness and never be again. World Operator: The magic of world programming, which allows Raphael to reach into the fabric of space and time to bend reality and its laws to her will. This degree of magic allows for the strings of the universe itself to be used as a canvas for spellcasting, so that Raphael can twist even probability, quantum mechanics, and mathematics. As an archangel, Raphael was programmed with a wealth of knowledge on the physical universe and how it functions, making her a natural World Operator. Her skills in this department have only been refined over her many years of experience, and thanks to her unique, highly potent inner world, which is well-suited to it. * Fall: As the Archangel of Mercy, Raphael can, with the utmost of ease, strip an angel of their halo and wings, resulting in their Fall from Heaven, into the form of a fallen angel. * System Administrator: Raphael’s position as an archangel allows her to easily interface with and even control the universal cloud of data, information, and angelic thoughts that is Yesod. In Heaven, Yesod connects to all computers and angels and acts as the foundation for their communications system, almost like a hive mind that all angels instinctively use to communicate and share information. It functions on a multi-dimensional scale, with higher-ranking, more secretive channels existing on different frequencies and dimensions. Due to her intelligence, authority, and knowledge of Yesod’s systems, Raphael has access to most of Yesod’s communication channels, and can use them to enter into and read the minds of nearly any angel in Heaven, to gather information and keep tabs on her underlings. Raphael can even move through Yesod, transmitting herself across its multiple dimensions and controlling her own dimensional structure. Yesod can also be used as a foundation for World Operator, as it is integrated into Heaven’s base reality and can thus be programmed to reprogram and manipulate parts of Heaven. While Raphael can use Yesod as a medium for many of her powers, she does not need it to do so and can easily manipulate similar networks and clouds in the same way. Zadkiel: An intangible, invisible field of energy, thinner than a Planck length, that Raphael can manifest around herself, either so close to her body that it’s almost like another layer of skin, or far further, encompassing planets, stars, and vast stretches of space. This field is Raphael’s law incarnated, the Heavenly law of love, peace, and forgiveness, something as gentle in nature as its user. Unlike most of her sisters’ laws, Zadkiel’s manifestation is not as simple as a weapon, not just a sword or spear, as Raphael’s body and the skill with which she uses it is enough of a weapon on its own - her law certainly helps with this, though. Its information is stored in Raphael’s soul, so even if Zadkiel is destroyed, she can rematerialize it instantly. Zadkiel’s function is to protect Raphael and ensure that her “mercy” and “peace” is the only exchange that occurs between her and her opponent. While this makes it sound like a purely defensive tool, don’t be fooled - Zadkiel is a brutally powerful and effective weapon, an extension of Raphael’s body, another limb to be skillfully used in combat. Of course, it isn’t just another limb - it’s a law that disbars combat, doing so through both careful, perfectly precise application of Logos, and through its own nature as an immutable fact. A fact that overturns all hostility and negates any attack that tries to pass through the law. The field is essentially subject to a variation of Dunamis Circuit, not quite as powerful as the real thing, but one that Raphael activates just as instinctively. Any movement through Zadkiel is instantly subject to its effects; any attack that travels through can be redirected with 100% efficiency, and even obliviously moving through will result in an automatic counter that slams a victim down using the force of their own motions. Raphael can control it as she pleases, expanding and retracting it to any distance she wants instantly, with perfect accuracy and timing, and she can even create multiple layers of Zadkiel and move them around, protecting at a variety of ranges. She can even catch an opponent in several layers at once and rip them apart by redirecting their motions in different directions. Raphael is a very active user of Zadkiel and does not simply sit back and allow it to work its magic in an actual fight with an equal. She moves around constantly, all the while adjusting its size in unpredictable ways, acting on pure instinct and naturally leveraging twenty billion years of combat experience without needing to think about it. As powerful as Zadkiel is, however, it is still limited by the same shortcomings as Dunamis Circuit, on top of others, such as how an opponent could teleport in between the fields rather than simply move through normally. This is an obvious maneuver, though, and Raphael is likely to predict it and react appropriately. One could also potentially break even a natural law through a sufficiently great will, or the use of another law, weapons that can pierce Zadkiel and must instead be redirected by Raphael personally. * Zadkiel Cleansing: A solid blow from Raphael grants her the opportunity to open a layer of Zadkiel within her opponent’s soul, interfering with the flow of emotions, energy, and intent, a massive issue that can completely prevent the use of magic. Of course, this would be a victim’s last concern, given that Raphael could easily rip them apart from the inside out and rupture their inner world from such a point. For those who can prevent such a painful death through whatever means, this is still a big issue, and Raphael can notably use it to strip away any boosts to their power acquired through magic, leaving them to face her without these boons. Raphael would have difficulty accomplishing this if the power was derived directly from their inner world, however. Cleanser Alkahest: The kindest inner world used by the kindest archangel, an inner world used solely to help others in the way Raphael does best. It’s something she sees as a curative tool, embodying her devotion to her cause, as gristly, cruel, and horrifying as that cause may sometimes be. Much like the rest of her personality and arsenal, it’s a simple, straightforward thing - but one that has no need to be anything else on account of how brutally effective it is. When needed, Raphael can manifest it as a pocket dimension, drawing others within using Zadkiel. Raphael’s inner world is a dimension of layered spheres, rotating over and over again, seemingly going on forever. Its landscape is a beautiful sight, a bright world lit by lights that stream from out of nowhere through fluffy clouds. All of it swims in an undercurrent of raw energy, the foundation of Raphael’s existence, and which she can control easily. In fact, Raphael can control virtually anything within Cleanser Alkahest without issue, a result of the fact that there’s a layer of Zadkiel every Planck length, surrounding Raphael in invisible spheres. This is where Raphael’s Dunamis Circuit redirects energy, after all, to be purified and turned back against an opponent. This purified energy is difficult and volatile for anyone but Raphael to handle, and cannot be properly absorbed or weaponized by those she turns it against, not without injury, at least. The sheer amount of Zadkiel layers makes combat within Cleanser Alkahest a hellish experience and basically impossible if one cannot break them to at least have the room to move and breathe. Just by existing, unless they’re smaller than a Planck length, an opponent will be within the purview of countless Zadkiel layers, meaning that Raphael could easily rip them apart into basically nothing and giving them a quick and arguably merciful death. Little else changes, and little else has to change, because this is all Raphael needs. Sheer skill combined with an ability this powerful makes for an overwhelming combination and what is for many an impossible fight. Cleanser Alkahest shares all the same weaknesses as Dunamis Circuit and Zadkiel, though both effects are more powerful within Raphael’s inner world, allowing her to fight at her best. Override Sigil: An extremely advanced form of magical technique used to change the nature of reality around and within the user, allowing them to bend and break through the laws of physics. Due to their complexity, Override Sigils are incredibly difficult to create, use, and control properly, requiring detailed knowledge and a powerful will. In addition, they tend to, invariably, drain a lot of energy and stamina, making it difficult to use them for extended periods of time, even if this can be mitigated by more powerful and willful agents. * Relative Lightspeed: A common form of Override Sigil that is ultimately developed in some form or another by most agents as they increase in power and speed. Normally, it would be impossible for even an incredibly powerful and willful agent to break through a universal constant such as the speed of light, theoretically requiring infinite magical energy to do so. However, this Override Sigil circumvents this issue by modifying the user's inner world to change the value of c to whatever they please, raising it as they grow in speed so that they can accelerate past the universal speed limit. Gallery Raphael Charat.png|Raphael, as made in [https://charat.me/en/ Charat] Raphael but Awake.png|Raphael, but with her eyes open for once Trivia * For some reason, some people think Raphael has done nothing wrong. * Just like Logos, Raphael has been claimed by their greatest fan as his waifu. ** Said greatest fan also helped out with her law! 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